#because i think you could make an argument for it given his backstory

[emanation-aura]

do you have any more genshin meta rants? i love the ones that you have

awh, thank you anon! I do have a few to pick from (apart from whining about regional specialties or boss mats every so often), but they might be, ah... less popular due to involving significantly more fandom wank. So I'll do a few of these, and if people have questions/expansions feel free to reblog to send asks about them!

Long post under the read more, but in short:

Arlecchino's evil deeds were retconned/given to Crucabena to make her more marketable

Dottore is being set up as the 'evilness scapegoat' for a majority of relevant characters

Genshin is putting down more loose threads than it can tie up

1 - Arlecchino's evil deeds were retconned/given to Crucabena to make her more marketable

Obviously this sounds very combative right out the gate, so let me justify this by citing my arguments.

The mere existence of Crucabena seems to be the perfect scapegoat for historical crimes we learn that have been done to and perpetuated by orphans of House of the Hearth. We've known since Version 2.4 that the title of the Knave changed hands and that the evils of most of the WQs involving the House (Lyudochka, Trofin) are a result of either the previous Knave or Dottore, and crucially, not current Arlecchino. You can argue that just means Arlecchino is a better person than the two of them, but the thing is that Arlecchino isn't significantly different from Crucabena— apart from not running the literal Hunger Games. Arlecchino also says this:

"I hope you understand, the difference between Crucabena and myself lies in our formulation of the rules, not our policy for enforcing them. Upholding the rules without question is a trait we both share, because that is how a household should be run."

My original opinion on this topic was that Genshin did a face-heel turn on the evils of the House to make Arlecchino marketable. But then I remembered the previous Knave stuff was foreshadowed, so I think my actual opinion now is that Genshin has been setting up for a non-evil Arlecchino far in advance by attributing the evils of her organisation to literally anyone but her, even though she also perpetuates them.

This is also why I feel like the memory-wipe during Arlecchino's SQ was a cop-out. Yes, it thematically made sense so I can't entirely begrudge it, but still; Arlecchino thematically considering a loss of memory to mean "death" technically meets the condition where her "policy for enforcing rules" is the same as Crucabena's (also death), but it seems altered in a specific way to make Arlecchino's actions seem more merciful and less menacing than was previously implied. While I liked Ignis Purgatorius Chapter Act I, it did come across as softening Arlecchino's character even though she gets a hulking nightmare-fuel bossfight. I'm happy to hear arguments to the opposite, though.

(And I don't hate Arlecchino; I just think she could have had more opportunities to be morally unpalatable and force the player to think more about her deeds and actions.)

2 - Dottore is being set up as the 'evilness scapegoat' for a majority of relevant characters

Tangent to the above, Dottore has had a hand in almost every semi-'villainous' character's backstory. Dottore (as Escher) practically set up Kabukimono's entire tragic backstory. Even the young child who dies of (implied) Tatarigami, since the sabotage of the Mikage Furnace released Tatarigami everywhere.

Crucially, Dottore/Escher is never mentioned in Scaramouche's backstory pre-3.3. Even though he was a pivotal character who brought pioneering new technology (which was secretly meant to destroy the Mikage Furnace) and an outsider to boot (recall that Kabukimono's outsider status also made him an intrigue to the people of Tatarasuna). The Rather Aged Notes, which tell the story of Tatarasuna from the perspective of the people there at the time, do not mention Escher at all or even hint at his existence. I can't say for certain, but it seems as if he was inserted there as well to provide a clear villain and scapegoat for the Tatarasuna plotline (originally, it seemed like Mikoshi Nagamasa, who slew Katsuragi with his prized claymore the Daitarara Nagamasa [now known as the craftable weapon Katsuragikiri Nagamasa], was just a little fucked in the head, but they even changed the perspective on that to make it an act of willing sacrifice, making the only clear villain Dottore once again.)

Likewise with Arlecchino and Crucabena, Dottore is mentioned as cooperating with Crucabena to siphon off failed children (which, frankly, seems like evilness overkill). Trofin Snezhevich's Aranara quest is also on Dottore's orders. The Eremites (Farrokhzadan and Desert group, which tried to deal with the Tanit) are also under his orders. It seems like every evil thing the Fatui does is tied up in Dottore's dirty fingers.

Which, okay, Dottore is evil, we've seen that many times now. Would it kill the devs to give us Fatui who act on their own malicious impulses rather than tying their stories back to Dottore? Even Crucabena, whom I believe was set up as a moral scapegoat for Arlecchino, suffers a little from her evilness deriving from cooperation with Dottore. It's getting slightly concerning to the point where most of the morally unscrupulous things done by the Fatui are mostly Dottore's fault, and makes me worried about the future Fatui plotline.

3 - Genshin is putting down more loose threads than it can tie up

Disclaimer: while I share this opinion, this was first brought to my attention by a friend of mine.

I think we all know by now that we're closer to the end of Genshin Impact than the beginning. We've completed our travels in six out of the seven nations, and things have been advancing, we've been learning more about the nature of the world and its people...

And yet. There are still many things left unresolved, to the point where it's becoming genuinely concerning whether Genshin can tie them up in time. To name a few topics:

(takes a deep breath) Our sibling, the Sea of Flowers, the Sinners of Khaenri'ah and the true nature of the Cataclysm, the Fatui's plans, what are the moons really? (gasp for breath to break the text block), who are the remaining Descenders, is the Heavenly Principles the Primordial One, why was Natlan specifically more destroyed by the War of Vengeance than the rest of Teyvat, (inhale), the entire implied existence of the All-Devouring Narwhal and "other worlds", Teyvat's cosmology, what's going on with all the Celestial Nails (we know the individual purposes of most of them, but as a grander plan, why?), Project Stuzha, Mini-Durin and Wanderer, the Hexenzirkel, Varka's expedition, the fucking Pyro Gnosis and whether it will end up with the Tsaritsa, also, THE SUSTAINER OF HEAVENLY PRINCIPLES HASN'T EVEN BEEN HINTED AT SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE GAME...

Now, some of the threads left unknown will be solved. We know this, because they're part of the main story. The trouble is, does Genshin have time to solve everything in a satisfactory way? One thing that stuck out to me about Natlan is that it seemed to want to speedrun major, major aspects of lore (moons, seelies/Yohualtehcutin, dragons/Saurians, Abyss) that had previously been only slowly drip-fed. It seems, to me at least, that the devs are rushing; also compare the relative lore-competence of characters in Natlan (Citlali and Mavuika knowing about Descenders) versus elsewhere (such as Nahida, god of wisdom, who only found out about Descenders by trawling Irminsul and reading Fatui records).

There's also some threads that may never get answered. That's fine, in my opinion; it would be boring if they solved everything. But there's also the threat that truly important plot threads, ones that have massive implications for Teyvat as a whole, may never get solved in this case, and that would be a massive missed opportunity.

Like, Hu Tao got the reveal of her father and grandfather's demise (plus an entire new sect of Liyue lore about Tao Du) 4 years after she released. There are other characters with outstanding mysteries about their existence (Bennett, Neuvillette, Childe to some extent, the true nature of the Raiden twins, if Hu Tao could get lore about her parents why can't Thoma's father, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances, get resolved too?, Focalors as a concept and her connection to Remuria/Erinnyes, etc...) and whether there is time to solve all of them is questionable at this point.

We're approaching 6.0, which may or may not be Snezhnaya, and then whatever the 'end-game' looks like. I don't think Genshin will end that soon, but the fact that the end-game is approaching and we aren't even close to being able to piece together crucial pieces of lore for it is a little concerning. My most personal gripe is the Sustainer, since it's been 4 years since we've last seen her mentioned. Like, we don't need to know who she is or anything, but at least a mention or hint towards the nature of her existence would be nice? Otherwise, whenever she re-emerges, the story is going to have a lot of exposition dumping to do.

(Also the Traveler's character stories haven't been touched since Mondstadt, wtf? but that's another rant. If I make this post any longer my fingers are going to cramp, so I'll leave it here for now. If anyone has anything to add/object I'd love to hear your thoughts!)

[ghouljams]

I think about this often and never write about it but I think Ghost would be a drug user. Not like he smokes weed, but like Price tells him if/when the higher ups have decided to run drug tests so he has time to get clean enough to pass(or find someone willing to piss in a cup for him).

And it's more of a "forced to go on leave may as well make the worst of it" thing, he knows better than to try and dose himself when he's in the field, but that also means leave is sparse and spent on base where Price can make sure his most loyal dog doesn't accidentally euthanize himself. Ghost would never call himself an addict, he's not like his father, or Tommy, he can control himself, he isn't going to fall into the same habits, he doesn't need it...

But it certainly makes everything feel a whole lot easier.

[archduchessgortash]

Let's talk about Gortash's anti-anxiety coat...

I think it works differently than a chunk of the fandom seems to think. It protects against status effects, not emotions.

First off, I will note that I don't believe Durge possessed the Bhaalist Armor that grants the Aura of Murder in the pre-game. Of further relevance is the fact that the Aura of Murder isn't an emotion-altering condition. It's not in the same category as Frightened. It makes enemies more vulnerable to piercing damage. That's it. It's not a fear aura, nor would the Cloth of Authority protect against its effects.

Is Durge scary? Definitely. The Haunted One background gives them intimidation proficiency, meaning they can choose to be scary when it serves their purposes, but they do not have to be scary unless they want to be.

Could Durge have possessed Orin's Unsettling Visage ability when they were Bhaal's Chosen? Sure. It requires an action to use it, however, meaning Durge would still have to choose to scare Gortash in order for it to be a factor. Also, it only lasts two turns, which is twelve seconds. It can be reactivated every turn, though.

Scary on. Scary off. Scary on. Scary off.

If Durge had that ability and used it on Gortash, the Cloth of Authority would definitely make him immune to receiving the Frightened condition from it.

I would not doubt for a second that Orin spammed Unsettling Visage at Gortash on day one after becoming the chosen, which makes her the most probable in-canon reason behind the specific enchantments that were included in the Cloth of Authority's creation.

Now more on how it works...

As a DnD player and Dungeon Master, I have spent an often excessive amount of time dissecting the rules associated with magical items and created a few legendary items for my own campaigns.

Of course, I'm not an expert on this item since Larian created it, not me.

The Cloth of Authority grants Gortash the abilty: Dauntless, which provides him with immunity to emotion-altering conditions.

Frightened is mentioned specifically, but the robe works for other conditions as well.

In the context of DnD and video games, conditions is the relevant word here, as that term is used to describe positive or negative status effects imposed upon a character via magical means, poisons, and other abilities.

Because the description of the robe highlights conditions specifically, I don't think that the robe makes him fearless or, if you wanted to take it even further... emotionless.

His own fears, such as those that would be caused by his personal history of abuse, PTSD, or any other emotional state with a personal and internal source, are not true conditions in the way that magical items in DnD and games implement them.

Even though, in the real world, we might use the word conditions when referring to anxiety and PTSD, in-game, they're backstory, not true status effects.

Or in my case... a Tuesday. 🤦‍♀️

If I were the DM here, the Cloth of Authority would not even prevent Shadowheart, for example, from being scared when she sees a wolf because it's her own personal fear and it's also important flavor in her backstory. But, then again, I wouldn't have given her a saving throw against being frightened, unless she was already at, say... moderate approval with the avatar character, and they were present when she encountered a wolf. Moral support from the proximity of a friend would grant a save under those circumstances. The status effect itself could be prevented with a successful save, but there is an argument to be made against magical items or saving throws stopping the effects of any emotion with an internal source. Shadowheart's decision-making should still be influenced in a subtle but noticeable way by the presence of the wolf. The fear is still there; it's just not controlling her at the moment. In my opinion, that specific scenario should have been a deception ability check on Shadowheart's part, intended to hide a fear that she can't prevent. If successful, no one notices, but she will admit the fear to a character with high enough approval. If unsuccessful, her fear is noticed, and an insight check becomes available in dialogue with her to ask about it.

Another reason I don't think that the Cloth of Authority stops all of Gortash's fears is that, when you whittle it down, there's an inescapable fear lurking at the core of villains who seek power at any cost.

All headcanons aside, in-game Gortash doesn't just rule with fear; he is ruled by it.

[etaleah]

I’ve been thinking a lot about Shadow’s characterizations in the Project: Shadow fan film, SA2, Archie, Heroes, ‘06, Prime, and Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog and why they’re all considered among the best. And I’ve been thinking about his characterizations in IDW and Boom, how they’re considered among the worst, and how much they clash with the other portrayals. I think I’ve hit upon the number one quality that Shadow needs to have to be written well.

Loyalty.

I’ll explain below the cut.

The best Shadow is one who is loyal to someone or something. Maybe he’s not always loyal to the right someone or something, but he is loyal nonetheless. It’s a core part of his character. He is ride or die to the very end for whatever friend or cause he cares about. Shadow is always ready to kill or be killed for whatever or whoever matters to him most; it’s what sets him apart from the others. The others have limits on their loyalty. Sonic will help you out, but he’s not gonna kill a man for you. Shadow will. He doesn’t have that limit. If you are Shadow’s friend and you need him to kill for you, he will do it. Period.

Here’s a recap of Shadow’s loyalty:

In SA2 and the fan film, it’s to Maria, and to a lesser extent, Gerald.

In Heroes and ‘06, it’s to Team Dark.

In Archie, it’s to Team Dark, Hope Kintobor, and Commander Tower. Sometimes it’s even to his own values like when he goes against Rouge to help Blaze in Treasure Team Tango.

In Sonic X, it’s to Maria and later Molly. Maybe even to the universe, given that he’s ready to kill Cosmo to save it.

In Prime, it’s to Green Hill. And later on, Shadow is also loyal to Sonic despite the latter driving him crazy.

In Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, it’s to Amy.

And in his own game, Shadow can be loyal to Maria, Sonic and friends, Eggman (up to a point), Black Doom, or even Earth itself. Not all of those folks are worth his loyalty, but the fact is that Shadow still cares about fighting by their side. That key element of his personality remains.

And that’s what’s missing in Boom and IDW. Because in those, he isn’t loyal to anything. He isn’t ride or die for anyone. At least, not that we can tell. When you remove Shadow’s faithfulness to those he loves, you remove a lot of what makes him who he is and all that’s left is an edgy aesthetic that soon wears out its welcome because there isn’t anything to supplement it. And this is made worse by the fact that they’re never allowed to bring up or expand his backstory, so they can’t ever talk about why he’s like this.

I guess you could make the argument that Shadow is loyal to the world in IDW since he helps save it a few times, but he’s so mean and heartless to everyone in the world that it feels less like he’s fighting to protect other people and more like he’s just trying to save his own house so he still has a place to live. I mean, if he won’t help Rouge when she’s been kidnapped by Starline and he won’t help Omega when the latter has been smashed to bits and he won’t help the Chao get out of their cage and he actually has to be talked into saving a village from an avalanche and he seems to really dislike/be annoyed by everyone he comes into contact with…what exactly is he saving the Earth for?? It can’t be for the people living in it. He hates them. He doesn’t care if they need his help. So the only conclusion I can draw is that he’s just doing it to save his own skin. The only person Shadow shows even the slightest bit of loyalty to is himself.

And that makes him unrecognizable from the Shadow we know and love.

His loyalty is his greatest virtue, even when it’s misguided. Let him keep it.

[thus-wrote-mrs-zeppeli]

Hi Sweet , I hope you're doing alright!

I love the way you write Diego, you catch his personality really well , i'm a fan. I wonder if you could write something about various sbr men with gyro and dio at least in a scenario where they have an arranged marriage/relationship with reader and it progresively get toxic because they do no more effort and let their toxic traits out?

headcanonc or small fic i don't mind, I hope you're confortable with that if no, i'm really sorry!

Hello~

I’ve been doing well overall, thank you very much~

I hope you’ve been well too!

And wow thank you!! I’m very flattered to hear you like how I write Diego! He’s a very strange but oddly charismatic guy, so I was eager to try my hand at writing him heh~I’ve never written for a man quite like him before. He’s super fun to try and figure out and I like him a lot as a character, he really speaks to me and turning into a dinosaur is awesome

I’ll gladly try this request~

I wonder if I focused too much on setting up a backstory lol, but I thought it was kinda interesting to make a setup.

Content warnings, PLZ READ: This is dark content. So for Johnny it’s more of an unhappy relationship than a toxic one and ends on a much more positive note than the other ones, cheating but it’s before reader and him have much of a relationship, Gyro more toxic but mostly unhappy and dissatisfied, arguments, alcoholism, Diego definitely toxic relationship, abuse, intimidation, murder, character death, lots of angst with no happy ending, tried to make reader gender neutral so use of “Mx.” for reader and reader takes their last name

Style: kinda…fic outlines more than anything I guess. Not entirely fics but slightly more than just headcanons.

Characters: Johnny Joestar, Gyro Zeppeli, Diego Brando in:

“A golden bird that flies away

A candle’s fickle flame

To think I held you yesterday

Your love was just a game”

Johnny Joestar: You had been arranged to marry into the Joestar family ever since you were a kid, given both of your families were wealthy but just short of being pure aristocracy. Such a marriage wasn’t much more than a weak attempt at playing noble for the actual aristocracy, but you didn’t have any say, fighting with your parents over it was unthinkable to you, since it was instilled in you since birth that you only lived for your family legacy and your parents knew best when it came to such matters.

You were betrothed to Nicholas Joestar originally.

He died very young, and your family gave the Joestars some space and time to mourn the loss of their eldest son…but you heard your parents discussing it occasionally, in all their pride and apathy, that the Joestars promised them you would marry a Joestar boy…and the Joestars still had another son. “Better hurry up with this marriage before the other one gets trampled by a horse too,” you remember your mother scoffing coldly as she sipped expensive tea.

The only ones who walked away happy from all of this were your parents. To the Joestars, you were a living reminder of what was lost…Johnny had only met you a few times before when you were younger; the last time he had seen you was when you were both kids. It was nothing personal when he passed you a look at your reunion that told you immediately he didn’t want to marry you. You didn’t blame him at all, how could he look at you and not think of his dead brother? You didn’t realize how deep it went, all that stuff about how his relationship with his father crumbled over his brother’s death, how his father said it should’ve been him instead-

It wasn’t until just after your marriage he informed you his father wanted nothing to do with him and that he didn’t intend to stick around where he wasn’t wanted, and would instead focus on horse racing and living large.

The marriage only happened because Johnny’s excessively stubborn father had made a promise to your family. You would be taken care of and treated as a Joestar, given you were blameless in this mess. Johnny not so much.

Well you really didn’t know what to do with yourself. You thought you’d look ridiculous getting married and then immediately letting your husband run off and do whatever the hell he wanted while you stayed at home and tried to maintain the appearance of a happy and put together family…

You didn’t know him at all, really. It’s not like you had some strong personal and romantic relationship with him. It’s not so much a dissatisfaction with being so far apart from him because you loved him, but because your family reputation was a deeply instilled priority to you.

But your parents didn’t care about Johnny Joestar either. You were married, you were a part of the Joestar fortune now…who cares that your husband was off doing whatever he pleased? They advised you just stay at home and not worry about him too much. Attend his races on occasion to look like a dutiful spouse, answer tactfully if the press ever ask about him and you, act like everything was fine and things would eventually work out well for you…that’s what your parents said, at least.

You get that he would want to distance himself and even distract himself from you…but still, you thought he’d put a BIT more thought to his own reputation given he was Technically a married man.

You kept it to yourself when you learned about how “popular” Johnny was with his “fans”; yeah he only had a relationship with you in name alone, but STILL. Surely he knew how bad it reflected on both of you when he spent romantic nights with people who weren’t his spouse?

Maybe it was a bit hypocritical of you, given you barely spent even one day with him every couple of weeks. When you did spend time with him, it was usually just an awkward dinner, and it often ended pretty poorly.

He’ll look you in the eye and respond when you make small talk, but if you want to talk about your marriage or his relationship with his father or anything about what he should be doing vs what he is doing with his life-

He tries not to get too mad at you because how can you be blamed for worrying about what you were taught to worry about? But it still pisses him off when you preach to him. And yeah, you’d probably be more understanding if he actually explained what happened between him and his father, but on the other hand he doesn’t want to talk about it and he doesn’t owe you anything anyways.

Fine. If he finds you irritating, you’ll just stop talking. He says that’s not what he meant and that you’re very frustrating to deal with and not even trying to see things from his perspective. You ask him how you’re supposed to see his perspective if he doesn’t tell you anything.

It was the first time he’s ever really raised his voice at you. You can’t even comprehend what he’s talking about when he screams that he should’ve been the one that had died that day, and even just being near you made that feeling even stronger. You should be married to Nicholas right now, not him. He’s reminded of that every single time he looks at you and he knows it’s not fair but sometimes he can’t stand you just because of it.

You can’t bring yourself to stop him when he leaves in frustration. Whatever’s going on with him, clearly it’s deeper than you’re capable of dealing with right now.

You stopped attending his races, sending letters, or even checking the morning paper for his name. Clearly he wanted space from you, and you were going to respect that. If he didn’t want your company and advice, you weren’t going to keep chasing after him. If the fame and rush of the racing world even somewhat filled that void in his heart, then let him live his life.

You knew something was wrong when you woke up one morning and your family house was especially quiet.

Neither of your parents were looking at you, your father grimacing at the day’s paper, and your mother’s face scrunched in irritation.

“Apparently we have married you off to an Icarus…those Joestars must be terrible luck,” your mother grumbled, hoping that whatever she was referring to wouldn’t also affect her family too severely.

“What…? What happened?” Something had happened to Johnny, and you’re immediately reminded of how the last time you spoke to him you had decided you weren’t going to try reaching out to him anymore.

Your father doesn’t say anything. Just flips the newspaper around and tosses it to you.

You can only gasp, not sure what to say or do…what did your parents even expect you to do? They didn’t care about Johnny, but he was your husband-

You should go see him. He had been shot, he wouldn’t ever walk again if he even survived, and as his spouse you should be there for him, regardless of your troubled history with him.

Nobody goes with you. You’re the only member of his family who bothered to take the time to visit him.

There are no words. What are you supposed to say to him? What is he supposed to say to you? He couldn’t even bring himself to look at you anymore.

You did the only thing you could think to do, and you silently stayed by his side. You’d do a few of the little things you could for him, or find a nurse or doctor for the things you couldn’t.

You didn’t care that the hospital staff were getting irritated with you. Someone would always have to escort you out when visiting hours were over, otherwise you’d literally fall asleep in his room even if that meant sleeping in a horribly uncomfortable chair.

You were always there early, nagging to see Johnny and asking about his condition and wondering when he could leave and worrying out loud about whether or not he’d agree to come home with you.

“Mx. Joestar. You’re disturbing the other patients with your constant fussing, we understand you’re worried about your husband but you must keep it down and stop distracting the staff from their duties or we will have to ask you to leave.”

You don’t really listen to the doctor’s warning, especially given you’ve just realized no one working there will take care of him unless you nag constantly, and even then it was only the bare minimum amount of effort.

You won’t leave, and even if you’re dragged out you’ll just find a way to sneak back in.

It’s all very ironic. You can’t quite explain your sudden devotion for him, maybe it was because at the end of the day you felt a duty to him as his spouse…or maybe even just because he had no one else who was willing to stay. All those friends and fangirls during his fifteen minutes of fame were gone now.

But if it meant anything, he had his spouse that he couldn’t even bring himself to look at or speak to.

You remember it distinctly, very tired from a long day of fretting over everything you had been neglecting while staying with Johnny.

They had taken the chair out of his room, to try and discourage you from staying as long as you usually would. So instead you just sat on the floor next to his bed, holding onto his hand. From the floor you couldn’t really see him, and he couldn’t really see you. The removal of eye contact made him comfortable enough to talk to you, just a little bit. There wasn’t much he wanted to say. He told you what had happened to him just a few short but excruciating months ago, and with his father. Once again words failed to come to you, since you had never experienced a suffering like Johnny has endured. So your only response was the occasional squeeze to his hand, an indication you were listening.

He told you thank you, because it was the only thing he could think to say to you. Just in general. Thank you.

A pair of nurses walk by, the walls thin enough in the wreck of a hospital for the two of you to easily hear what they were saying, especially given they were talking in a volume like they didn’t care who heard.

Talking about how you were always there visiting him and causing a ruckus over him, and even if you were a headache to them Johnny was “pretty damn lucky” to have such a devoted spouse like you.

Johnny…pretty damn lucky…? Johnny was a lot of things, but lucky was literally at the bottom of the list of things you’d call him.

Johnny huffs bitterly at the irony, and you kiss his knuckles in an attempt to tell him to pay them no mind.

It dawns on you as you sit on the dirty hospital floor and cling to your husband’s hand. Neither of you have any idea of what to expect for the future…all the two of you have been focusing on is getting to the next day.

He can’t race anymore. And you would never ask him to try to make up with his father and return home, with everything that happened and the fact that he hasn’t even visited Johnny in the hospital once after the incident.

Well. At absolute worst your parents would only complain about you bringing Johnny to your family home. The two of you could manage that. It would only be until the two of you adjust enough to Johnny’s situation….then the two of you would go and…and…you don’t even know, you can’t think of anything. And you’re putting the cart before the horse worrying about that right now, given that you and Johnny should probably focus on forming an actual relationship first.

In the swirl of your complete mess of a marriage, it’s finally occurring to you…

You honestly don’t know anything about Johnny! And he didn’t know anything about you either, given you’ve probably had a max of twenty short conversations in your marriage so far.

And you really hate that it took him literally getting shot for you to start thinking about him again, but that was reality, there was no point criticizing yourself, and given your current situation…you had time to start trying to make this marriage into something salvageable.

He was reluctant, but not entirely unreceptive to the idea now that his life had been entirely altered, and given you were literally the only person who stuck around…it was fair to at least try to bond with you.

And it’s not like he had anyone else to talk to or any other place he could go.

Gyro Zeppeli: He knows it’s not your fault that his reluctance to get hitched resulted in some drastic measures needing to be taken. But he sure liked to act like it was your fault. He was usually grumpy with you when you were around his family. He was gonna make it clear how he felt about he felt about this whole situation. Though when it’s just the two of you he won’t be as hostile, since most of his ire and sass is meant for his parents, not you. You were just the unfortunate person who got dragged into this nonsense.

You were from a small and relatively unknown but respectable family, with a bright future as a student of the rapidly developing new science of psychology. You would be a great fit for a doctor from the renowned Zeppeli family…and as soon as your parents realized the opportunity that was presented before them, of course they were quick to make the arrangements.

Having your husband just decided for you without you even getting the opportunity to meet him beforehand didn’t sound the most pleasant, but really you only cared about your studies, and your parents insisted marrying into the Zeppeli family would get you access to all sorts of new opportunities to enhance your learning.

And a doctor couldn’t possibly have been the worst company. You were talked into thinking marrying a man without meeting him once was actually a decent idea, somehow.

But, well…you feel like you can’t Really be blamed for having a certain image in your mind when you were told the man you were betrothed to was from a renowned family of doctors.

He straight-up ignored you when you finally met him a few weeks before the wedding. Well, technically he did look at you when you first walked through the door, but with a very intense glare. And then he didn’t really acknowledge you.

But that wasn’t gonna stop you from scrutinizing him…what kinda Doctor looked and acted like he did?? You were expecting a gentleman. This guy…his hair was long and wild, the body language of a man who intended to do whatever the hell he wanted. Even though you could tell he was raised to have a lot of respect for his parents, you could feel he was super irritated with them for setting all this up.

You told yourself first impressions weren’t everything…maybe you just needed some one-on-one time to get to know him. No matter how you tried though…apparently Dr. Zeppeli was too busy to spare even a moment for you, every single day.

Well he couldn’t avoid you forever…he was going to be legally married to you in just a few weeks and then he’d Have to acknowledge you.

And well. He kinda did. After the wedding you finally got some private time with him but…he got super drunk to drown his frustration with this whole mess. Ah well. Liquor loosens lips, so you got to piece together quite a bit of what you unintentionally got yourself involved in. Apparently there was a lot expected of him as the eldest, but even as drunk as he was he held some closely guarded secrets about himself and his family, just saying something about how with luck you wouldn’t have to worry about it, because he didn’t intend to be a husband to you and hopefully you’d be free from all of this in a few weeks. You couldn’t tell what he was planning on doing, but just from the short time you’ve had to observe him you have a feeling it’ll be something stupid and reckless. And there was no way you could talk him out of it. But you had time to plan for whatever it was, because in the morning he wasn’t doing anything or going anywhere due to a horrible hangover. You took care of him, and he was grouchy about it, and you knew it was because he felt bad about dragging you into this even though he wasn’t the type to openly admit it.

You don’t think it’d even be worth trying to reason with him, since clearly he was more stubborn than you’d ever be, so you choose to sit back and observe how things play out. You were beginning to think that your marriage really was going to get called off and you’d be a divorcee at a young age.

You just leave him alone for a few weeks. You’re living under his roof, but neither of you see much of the other, given your dedication to studying and his determination to avoid you.

And eventually, he seems to give up on putting things back to the way they were.

One evening you were deep into a large textbook, scribbling notes in the margins, your hand beginning to ache from how long you had been working. You were just about to take a break, but decide to pretend you were still working when you hear the front door swing open, knowing Gyro was back.

You’re sitting in one of the two comfortable chairs in the lounge room. He wordlessly sits in the one next to you, dragging a hand along his face, conveying a strong irritation but reluctant acceptance for whatever he had decided on today.

He just stares at you for a moment, and you meet his gaze evenly.

“You still working on that essay?” he asks, leaning back in his chair, initiating a conversation with you for the first time since you met him.

“Yeah…getting close to done, finally.” You tap your pencil against the book. You only had a few more paragraphs to go before your magnum opus paper would be complete, and this textbook had all the last remaining sources you’d need.

“That’s….good. You’ve got a good…work ethic,” he attempts to compliment you. Oof, awkward….but you appreciate the attempt to make the best of a situation he really didn’t like.

Because of the unconventional nature of your relationship, he understandably doesn’t know how he should be behaving, and a part of him doesn’t want to know since he never wanted this.

He feels more like an unpredictable roommate to you than a husband…sometimes he’s casual and makes small talk with you but keeps you at arm’s length, and other times he’s unintentionally a completely neglectful partner. He won’t tell you where he’s going, who he’ll be with, and when he’ll be back unless you specifically ask. Sometimes he won’t come home at all. You’ve spent many a late night waiting up on him, worrying about where he could be, only for him to show up early in the morning and dismissing your questions with some half-assed excuse. He says he’s tired, please leave him alone. And if you say anything more he’ll get irritated. But he’s always “tired” or “had a stressful day”…you know that’s not in his disposition…he’ll just say whatever to get you to leave him alone. You get why he wouldn’t want to deal with you, and you can’t really blame him for treating you like someone to avoid but it’s still…frustrating. You get that he didn’t care for you at all but he could at least give you some clearer communication, even if he disliked the feeling of even pretending to be a real couple. He doesn’t have to love you, or even like you, but nothing changes the fact that the two of you are gonna be stuck together for a while so he better embrace it and start talking with you like an adult.

But unfortunately for you, you’re married to the most stubborn man on the planet.

Arguments aren’t Frequent because most of the time he avoids you, but if you do manage to irritate each other enough at the same time, there may be an occasional shouting match. And it makes him even more irritated if you manage to stay calm and tell him he doesn’t need to yell at you. Because he knows you’re right. He was raised better than that. But he often let his emotions control the way he spoke, even when he didn’t necessarily mean anything by the way he yells or the things he says.

Eventually it gets to the point where you’re both short with each other, often getting into small and petty arguments over anything, and still consistently keeping your distance from each other.

So when he came home one day announcing he’d be leaving for America in a week to participate in some race…you had to admit some relief. Almost four whole months…with no Gyro. You told him to have fun in America and bring you back a souvenir and that’s about all you had to say on it. Whatever his reasons, it didn’t matter, since he wouldn’t tell you anyways.

Honestly maybe it would be good for both of you to have some space from each other. Maybe it’s what you needed, a little distance, some time to reflect…and maybe you could both be a little bit calmer with each other when he got back and he told you all about his grand adventure in America.

Oddly enough you found yourself looking forward to hearing him talk about his trip, though you told yourself you were just happy to get away from him.

You had even kissed him goodbye, and he teasingly asked if you were gonna miss him while he flashed that goofy smile at you.

And you had proudly turned your head away from him and said “no” and that he better hurry up lest the boat leave without him.

You still can’t believe that was the last time you ever saw him alive…and what makes you feel even worse is that you’re not sure if you even would’ve been nicer to him if you had known.

Especially because of how that Johnny Joestar guy who brought his body back home was surprised to meet you. Apparently Gyro hadn’t mentioned you to him.

Diego Brando: You had heard of him in newspapers, and from your friends invested in the horse races…Diego Brando…it was no exaggeration to say he was at the top of the Jockey world.

And you were a wealthy member of the aristocracy, the sole heir to a marvelous fortune…it would be no exaggeration to say you were at the top of the spoiled rotten world paved by old money. You would be inheriting the family railroad industry one day, born to a life of luxury and success, like a pampered bird living in a comfortable golden cage. It was all you would ever know, but if you already had it so good, why would you need anything else?

You became acquainted with him on a fateful day where your parents insisted you watch one of his prestigious races. You couldn’t imagine why they’d want to drag you to one of those, given you were known to get bored and complain and leave early when an event disinterested you…but you complied without too much of a fuss, admittedly curious to see the world renowned jockey himself in person.

You didn’t understand when your parents looked at you with much more seriousness than usual when you arrived.

“You will say yes, or you won’t be welcome home anymore,” your father had said to you cryptically, the intensity in his face telling you he was not making a joke.

“Say yes? To what?” you frowned, confused, and nervous by the threat. Your father didn’t usually order much of anything of you, let alone use such a serious tone.

“Just make sure you do it,” he huffed, clearly anxious for whatever was going to happen at this race, and you can only imagine what it could be. What could your father not tell you…?

It was pretty hard to focus on the race with that looming over you, but even with the anxiety weighing on your mind, you had to admit…Diego Brando really knew how to work a crowd. He had presence, he stood out…and you always believed that sort of arrogant confidence was okay if someone had the skills to back it up. And he certainly had the skills. He made it look so effortless that you could almost imagine yourself out there riding a horse in a race.

An easy victory for him, wasn’t even close really…and still you had found yourself entertained. Remarkable…no wonder he was called a genius.

And to your surprise, as the crowds gathered around him to congratulate him and snap photos, he looked over at where you were sitting and smiled and made a grand statement about how he “dedicated his victory to you” and you had no idea what was going on but with everyone’s eyes on you and that handsome jockey you hadn’t even met before saying such bold things to you-

You felt so embarrassed! But having Diego’s attention in front of all his fans…it did make you feel important.

Even though this all reeked of a grand Publicity Stunt, you felt butterflies in your stomach when he gestured for you to come down and speak to him.

All those eyes on you, your father’s words echoing in your mind…there was NO way this was going where you thought this was going-you told yourself you were just overthinking all of this and there was NO WAY he was going to-

The crowds part just enough for you to reach him, everyone watching and murmuring amongst themselves, cameras already poised, ready to capture this moment. Like it was all planned, all masterminded, and everyone knew exactly what was going to happen except for you.

He pulls his gloves off so he can take your hands in his, lightly tugs your knuckles to his lips, and then makes quite an extravagant display of getting on one knee and asking you right there with the confidence of a God among men for your hand in marriage.

‘You will say yes,’…this is all so sudden…you don’t even really have time to think, and if you were going to say ‘yes’ you had to do it quickly so it didn’t look suspicious…you allowed yourself to shout out an enthusiastic: “Yes!!!” and you even wrapped your arms around his strong shoulders and hugged him to make it look more convincing, because the fear of not going home after this scared you enough to agree to whatever the hell this was. He hugged you back, placing his chin on your shoulder…and even with his smaller stature and lean build the grip he had on you felt…like the most literal form of possessive. Like he had gotten his hands on an expensive gemstone, and was showing it off to the crowd, and making it clear it was his and no one else’s.

…

Diego told you your parents came to him begging him to marry you. And when he told you why, as much as it made you bitter and defiant, you had to admit it sounded like something they’d think up.

You were smart, they knew that, but because of the accidental spoiling and pampering you had very little motivation, and they were greatly concerned in how you would manage on your own. It would be beneficial for you to have Diego around, given he was clearly a man who hungered. Motivated, self-made through his skill and willingness to do most anything to reach his goal, but never sacrificing his dignity. But he’s sure the fact that he was rich and famous had something to do with why they approached him too. Tacking ‘Brando’ onto your name set you up for success, one way or another, whether he ended up continuing the cycle of indulging you in your pampered life or inspiring you with his fierce motivation…you would be taken care of.

That entire story was complete nonsense, crafted by him, and you were none the wiser. As long as he kept you that way…reaching the apex of society became more and more of a reality. You didn’t have to know that he was the one who actually approached your parents with a deal that would “benefit everyone”. And your parents’ love for you was so deep all he had to do was promise to take good care of you and they were willing to go along with whatever he asked of them.

You seemed perfect for each other in the public eye, a daring, charismatic and wealthy jockey like him and a noble, elegant and wealthy heir to a renowned railroad company like you…quite the celebrity couple~

The envy of all, two of the most desirable prizes at the top of society, very fitting that you got together. Everything about the two of you just seemed so…natural. Like this was how it was supposed to be.

The two of you were just good at playing nice in the public eye.

Honestly at first it had started out okay, given how suddenly you were thrown into marriage. He was charming even in private, if not a little weird and invasive sometimes. He always intended to do whatever he wanted, and sometimes he’d irritate you or embarrass you and not take you seriously when you voiced your concerns, but otherwise he was tolerable, if only barely.

Things really escalated after a few months, right as you were finally adjusting to your eccentric husband and really learning to love him despite how suddenly your life had changed because of him…

Your parents were found dead in their garden on their estate.

You remember how softly Diego had held you when you gripped his shirt tightly and sobbed into his chest as the police told you they had both been poisoned. They said they’d do everything in their power to find who did this and bring them to justice. You didn’t care. You only wanted your parents back.

Days turned to weeks, and there weren’t even any clues to a suspect, and your usually eccentric and energetic husband had a shift in personality, which you assumed was due to your misery. It was even stranger to see Diego be quiet, gently rubbing your shoulders when you’d burst out into tears and even taking a short break from racing to spend with you while you grieved. He was comforting. And the only person you had now.

That soft, warm comfort he brought you in your sudden anguish did not last long.

Your parents’ last will and testament told you everything you needed to know.

Your name had been omitted. They had left everything to their dear son-in-law: Diego Brando. The entire railroad company, all their estates, the family fortune…

You’re sure they didn’t just DO that on a whim. And you’re sure that even without any physical proof you knew what had actually occurred these past few months.

Diego Brando was using your family. He had wormed his way in like an undercover invader, manipulating your parents, and then killing them once he got what he wanted from them. And he positioned you into a spot where you were completely powerless. Such a masterful domination in so few actions. You had no moves you could really make, the trap had been hidden in plain sight…and you would almost consider being impressed with how ingenious it was if you weren’t the one being hurt by it.

He knew it’d be obvious to you once you got a look at the will. So there was no longer a reason to play pretend with you.

He’ll lay it all out for you, so there’s no confusion.

The only reason you’re still alive is because it’s convenient. Imagine how suspicious it’d look if your entire family was conveniently wiped out by an assassin, of course he’d look like the obvious suspect…but if you were still alive and healthy and looking happy with him, this dance became much simpler.

Don’t get him wrong…if he has to, he absolutely can kill you, even if it’d be a headache to deal with.

Just behave yourself, keep quiet, and he’d keep his promise to your parents. As much as he detested the thought of taking care of one of the very people he despised (a person born into a life of luxury who never had to work for anything), he would do almost anything if there was an advantage to gain for himself.

With his intentions finally revealed to you, he wasn’t going to keep acting like he liked you. He said he’d take care of your physical needs. If you had a house to live in and food to eat then he was fulfilling his end of the bargain, how he treated you beyond that was up to him.

He never fancied him much of a sadist, but he did derive some enjoyment from tormenting you, using how you both hated and feared him for his own entertainment.

He knew he liked feeling powerful, but even he was surprised at how that applied to the control he had over you.

You could look at him with intense hatred whenever you wanted, but you couldn’t do anything to him. And you flinched away when he got close, and he kinda liked the way you squirmed away from him and quivered when he reached out to touch you.

Simply, he’s a bully. He’s rude to you, sometimes even using his strength to manhandle you a bit. He tries not to leave any marks or bruises, he doesn’t think he’s that kind of tyrant. But the little threats here and there, reminders of what he Could do to you if you stepped out of line…you have to wonder why he likes to scare you too…has he not already tormented you enough? He killed your parents, stole your inheritance, and he plagued you when the mood struck him just because he could. Why? To gloat?

The best thing you can do for yourself is try not to react. Try as hard as you can not to flinch when he flashes his frighteningly sharp teeth at you, don’t even say anything when he bosses you around, just silently do whatever he asked. Maintain eye contact, respond monotonously, don’t give him any “fun” reactions by cowering in front of him, regardless of how far he goes to intimidate you.

He’ll get bored of you and opt to entertain himself with something else. Technically you’re just being boring, not stepping out of line, so he has no reason to hurt you.

At worst he’ll get really irritated and complain you’re uninteresting now, but he ends up leaving you alone more often, though you know he doesn’t intend to let you win this battle. You’ve been with him long enough to know he cannot stand the thought of losing. He’d find some way to get back at you, he was petty in that regard. And he was not going to let it go until he was confident your mind was completely under his heel again.

You don’t know why he doesn’t just divorce you and move on, you wouldn’t fight him at this point, you just wanted to get away from him…

But he had some inexplicable pride that made him see you as part of the prize he had worked for, another status symbol, tangible proof of his ascent to the apex of society. He wouldn’t just give up a trophy he had earned. What self-respecting man would?

—

Author’s note: definitely got carried away with establishing the relationships with reader lol-turned out much longer than I initially intended-

This was interesting to write, was debating adding Funny Valentine but then these ended up pretty long (and when I thought about arranged marriage FV my brain kept going: yikes. yikes. YIKES. lol) so. If anyone actually had any interest in a Funny Valentine addition just lemme know and I can write something for him.

Once again I am fascinated with Diego as a character, he’s so…intriguing. I need to do a character study on him sometime since I so badly want to examine him under a microscope like a strange amoeba lol

If anyone’s wondering YEAH I made reader the heir to a railroad company in Diego’s part as a reference to his first death (oh sweet irony, I hope someone liked the thought like I did)

Title are lyrics from a CAKE song called “Never There”, it’s pretty catchy if you haven’t heard it, I like it a lot and thought it fit decently. (When I started writing this the placeholder name I used was “Toxic Pony” lol)

[irritablepoe]

Headcanon for Poe's backstory and his ability

okay so i’ve been thinking about this headcanon for ranpoe for like a year now and i wanted to do a big reveal in one of my fics but it’s kinda on the writer’s block list rn and i wanted to share it here too bc obv not everyone’s gonna read my fic. 

i want to point out that these are all headcanons with barely any evidence. you don’t have to share these opinions ofc oki oki <3

mainly it’s about how there’s more to poe’s and ranpo’s relationship - and especially their rivalry - than we see at first, that much is obvious. ranpo didn’t just hurt poe’s feelings, it wouldn’t make sense for poe to be this upset about it.

so these are a few headcanons i’ve already written about and posted about on here:

first: poe was the one who organized these mysteries competitions or was already highly involved in them otherwise. he may even had investors that sponsored him to do them. he was the best detective in america until ranpo defeated him. he probably had a lot of fans that supported him and cheered him on too. it’d make sense for them to leave him when ranpo defeated him, leaving him with nothing.

second: his friends. it’s stated that he isolated after his defeat. for that to be the case he would have had to have some sort of social connection to people before that. that can be the case for fans ofc, but it could also be that he did have a friendgroup before that. maybe even other detectives or mystery solver that turned away from him OR he was too embarrassed to keep up his typical boastfulness around them after ranpo.

another aspect i want to add here is that if he had investors that then left him, it could be that he fell into poverty which in turn could’ve led to one of his loved one’s dying (maybe of illness) because he couldn’t financially support them anymore. canon poe has stated to have experience with grief and looking at irl poe it would make sense that someone in his family (if not multiple people) died from sickness.

now, these are the aspects i’ve already covered. but now i would like to add another one. most of you are certainly familiar with the theory that abilities are caused by trauma or a life-changing event. the mystery competition between ranpo and poe seemed to have been such an event to poe. so - my theory or perhaps headcanon is that poe’s ability was triggered due to ranpo defeating him. i have multiple arguments to make here:

poe’s ability is perfectly crafted to be challenging to ranpo. leaving fyodor out of this right now (while also pointing out that fyodor did have a LOT of time to think about this plan though, while poe took six years), no other ability has proven to make ranpo this upset.

in the flashback poe was clearly stated to be a detective. ofc poe’s profession changed with the guild but still, he didn’t put his writing first back then.

it would explain his ambiguous feelings towards ranpo. hating him for taking everything away from him, while also seeing him as someone who has given this gift to him which would also explain him letting ranpo use his ability without being able to say no.

let me know what you think about this, the evidence for this is obviously dragged by the hair a little bit but yk, I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS, it’s literally so fun to make up their backstory even if it doesn’t turn out to be true (or will never be answered idrc). you don’t have to agree obv, that’s just my two cents to ranpoe (they are my life).

thank you for reading all this <3

[utilitycaster]

RE: Ruidusborn superstition - It's weird because Matt has had several opportunities to make it about persecution and hasn't. Laura could've made it a stronger point in her backstory with Gelvaan and didn't. This rounding up Ruidusborn and throwing them in jail is a theoretical crime that a bad guy in a cult told them might happen. 

Dealing with the unfair persecution of non Vanguard Ruidusborn in the fallout of this could be interesting to explore, but a) it hasn’t happened yet and b) still entirely the fault of the Vanguard for, ya know, all the crime. I just don’t get why some folks aren’t exploring the actual interesting conflict in front of them (i.e. being tied to something inherently destructive, your parent using you as a justification for her crimes, etc.) and instead make it about some secret twist coming that will totally make Liliana and the Vanguard “correct” actually in order to (I assume?) justify Imogen’s brief consideration of them and dunk on Orym for having the audacity to not be objective about the organization that killed his family.

Hey anon,

This is a very good point re: the actual conflicts present. I know I've been guilty of going hard on Liliana and the thing is I do find her a profoundly compelling and sympathetic villain. I think she was placed in an impossible position by Predathos imbuing her with troubling and at times painful powers; that despite having good intentions with regards to the nature of Ruidus (there is a lot of value in both studying it and in concealing its nature, depending on your perspective) people other than Ludinus were unable to give her answers and so she was easy prey for his cult; and she has since been driven by these motivations so far down the road of the Ruby Vanguard that even when the daughter she has believed herself for so long to be protecting tries to give her an out and asks her why she's doing this, she can't answer but is terrified of leaving. She is very sympathetic. She is very much a villain. And yes, I'll cover Orym in a second.

The following is, by necessity due to the nature of what I want to discuss, going to touch on some real-world politics though mostly in the sense of abstract strategy with very few specific actual positions. I want to note that we are talking about a fictional work here, and while I do have some presumptions regarding the people advocating for the Vanguard, they are just that - presumptions. I will only say that if this is how the people advocating for the Vanguard engage with people in real-world activism (if they partake in that in the first place), this may be a revealing insight into why they are perhaps less than successful.

Every argument in favor of killing the gods ultimately presupposes killing the gods is correct. They are all, ultimately, either tautological (we should kill the gods because they are deserving of death) and assume that the only objective conclusion is "we should kill the gods", therefore anything other than "we should kill the gods" cannot be objective.

I may be repeating myself since I've said this a lot since the last episode but: there as a truly bone-chilling lack of empathy in thestatement that Orym needs to stop bringing up his dead family and get over it and be objective (read: agree with the premise that the gods should be killed). Actually, if you are a person capable of perceiving others as people, you will likely realize that it is cruel and absurd to expect someone to say "this group murdered my family, but because they did so with the correct motivations, I shall stop mentioning it." As you indicated, it's bizarre that Orym is expected to set the wholesale murder - deliberately set up with no hope of resurrection, just to twist the knife - aside, but Imogen is never expected to set aside the (let's face it, extremely tenuous, given that Liliana's been absent for over a quarter-century) feelings about her mother, a person who recruits child soldiers, turned Vax into an orb, and is a general in the death cult that murdered Orym's husband and father. Like, in a real-world scenario, someone in Orym's position very well might have just left over this. Your friends keep failing to consider your trauma? Perhaps it's time to, painful as it may be, find friends who will be sensitive. [I don't want to focus on the shipping or character dynamic aspects with that particularly argument against Orym, but this is a fictional work and I do think another running theme in all sorts of discourse is that you do not need to justify your ships as logical, and when you do, you really do sound like "why doesn't Ross, the largest friend, simply eat all the other friends." There are logical reasons why Orym might not want to talk with, for example, Fearne or Ashton; but also the heart wants what it wants, and again, if you aren't truly ignorant about the way human psychology works you have to acknowledge that.]

Before I move on to other items I want to note I've as of late seen attempts not just to discredit Orym but to pathologize his behavior as self-harming or moral OCD or a failure to get fully over grief (again, an expectation that is not just devoid of empathy but also sets the standard of 'get over grief' as "agrees with me") and not just "hey, this group killed my husband and father in front of me and I understandably will not budge on this particular front. So there's also a growing ableist push, here, because someone doesn't agree with you and will not agree with you and also might want to kiss someone different than whom you want them to kiss.

As of late, the banner of those wronged by the gods has shifted from any of Bells Hells to those of Aeor, and that is a bad sign in a D&D campaign. If you need to set aside the PCs in order to rely on NPCs who have not shown up in the current narrative? You are clinging to a melting iceberg, my man. (More so after invoking FCG as one of the victims of Aeor's demise, rather than someone created to be used for malicious purposes by Aeor; and even more so after they destroyed themself specifically in heroic sacrifice to save the rest of the party from a Vanguard general.). But more seriously, the focus on Aeor feels reminiscent of advocacy for the unborn; or, to take a page from my own personal experiences and move this back into a fandom realm, the way people will frequently more loudly decry antisemitism for depictions of goblins than for, say, the fact that I don't know of an American synagogue that hasn't experienced a bomb threat in the past 10 years. It's very easy to advocate for corpses or fetuses over the living, or for fictional characters over real people who might be less than perfect. Much easier to ensure they never do such inconvenient things as disagree with you or have their own suggestions or be complicated. It hearkens back to some of the conversations I and others had earlier this campaign about a denial of agency because by making characters victims "stripped of choice," (always that phrasing) suddenly they can't do wrong. They make for a shit story, but at least you can feel morally pure about your flavorless cardboard that ultimately means nothing in-world or out. (And if they don't have agency, that means your morality pet can't run away. Or blow themselves up in a stunning rejection of your argument.)

Returning to the Vanguard: an ongoing discussion in activist spaces (and internet ones as well) is that there's a weird ignorance of optics as an important factor in activism. I know it seems frustrating - why can't people just see that this cause is just - but optics have always been a crucial part of any successful movement. I mean, even if you do believe that we need to do more to combat climate change - and I do - my, and most people's response to the environmental activists who keep throwing soup or paint on artwork is "ugh, this again?" I mean, functionally, while the cause is far more just, it's not terribly distinct from the weird-ass He Gets Us ad campaign; most people are going to say "and you're doing this instead of anything helpful...why?" The Vanguard's optics SUCK. Sure, they've fomented some unrest, but it is an unfortunate truth that the vast majority of people will prefer the inherent violence of a stable system that they are used to over violent unrest. For a successful coup or radical change, either you need to strike at the seat of power extremely quickly or you need to show that you are the more, for lack of a better term, civilized option, and the Vanguard has failed utterly in both these. You're going to get a few places like Hearthdell (though, really, how long will that last given that they got rid of the temple without a scrap of help from Ludinus) but you're going to get a lot of places where city dwellers say "ugh, these stupid crystals are so fucking loud, could this motherfucker shut up" and you're also going to get no shortage of places that say "my family member was taken in by this cult" or "these guys murdered my professor". The rightness or wrongness of the Vanguard's politics aside, a lot of people in-world are likely to side with Orym - these people are murderers who disturb the peace and we should stop them. The cause is lost. Is it, in some absolute sense, fair that people will judge you more for how you convey a message than what the message is? No, although if you convey it in rivers of blood, then, perhaps, yes. But it is, fair or not, often true.

Which brings me back to Orym. I think the reason people are stooping so low specifically to malign and discredit Orym is because he brings all of the above uncomfortably to light. He's aligned with Keyleth, who quite frankly until pretty recently was, within the fandom, partly as (understandable) backlash to the hate she received, and partly because she was, if nothing else, always portrayed as someone deeply attuned to the human costs, treated as a morally infallible authority; and she is no friend to the gods yet still believes their demise is far too great a risk to take. Again, thinking of yourself as Exandria's equivalent of the man on the street (Imahara Joe the Plumber?), are you going to listen to "those people killed my husband and father to prove a hypothesis so that they could tether the moon?" or "my mom, who left me when I was two years old and never came back or sent a letter, is one of those people?" And that's assuming Imogen's even going to make that argument, which, as her actions indicate, she's probably not going to. But most of all I think they really don't like that Orym isn't backing down from "That is the blade that killed my father and husband. She is not right." He's kept to this story the entire time, while the positions of others have evolved. And he's telling the truth. Every time he says this, I think anyone who isn't actually a complete black hole of empathy must confront how much of their humanity they are supressing just to make a poorly-argued point about a D&D show and I'd imagine that can't make one feel very good.

I think people are terrified of Orym's conviction, because he has shown, time and time again, that he is not going to be swayed. I don't think, in fact, that he's going to be swayed by seeing Aeor, should that happen, since Aeor was destroyed a thousand years before he, Will, or Derrig were born, and their murders failed to undo that harm in any way. A really good way to turn people away from your cause, even if it's a good one, is killing those they love. And again, it's fine if you see that position as unfair, or ignorant, or even amoral. It's also extremely true. And I think people realize it's true, given that the only defenses I've seen for Liliana have been "well, but she's Imogen's mother" and "well, it's shockingly easy for people to fall into a cult, because this has happened to my family members." Clearly, we agree that people will place personal connections and the pain of those close to them over ideology. Orym's is just really inconvenient for some people, and so he must be discredited.

In the end: the people in the story who at every turn choose manipulation, indoctrination, violence, subjugation, and conquest are saying "This is the way; you just have to trust me." Is it any surprise most people watching the show are saying "No, I don't think I will"?

[waddledeedee]

My Top 10 My Hero Academia Ships

10) Shoji x Asui

Unarguably the most underrated ship on this list (probably because Shoji as a character is PAINFULLY underrated, I literally love this man so much no one understands). But anyway, I think these two are absolutely perfect for each other, and I'm surprised more people don't see the potential here honestly. Like, this isn't even the FIRST TIME I've seen Shoji carry Asui in his arms like this??? Even putting all of that aside, I feel like Shoji and Asui's hero ideals just complement one another's so much, because the two of them from the very beginning excelled impressingly well in prioritizing the safety of citizens above all else and I just think their heroic personas in general just mold so well together. Not to mention they are both heteromorphs, which is even more perfect if you ask me. Asui comes from such a big, loving family too, and I think for Shoji to become apart of it would actually make him the happiest man alive I'm not even kidding. Moral of the story, SHOW MORE LOVE FOR THESE TWO, PEOPLE!!!!

9) Stain x All Might

I never considered these two as a ship until the very scene below where I could only be like "wait hold the phone..." I never actually thought about it before then about how dedicated Stain is when it comes to All Might, which I know should have been obvious given his entire ideal but STILL. The way Stain was the only person who was able to instill confidence back into All Might to get back in the fray and find himself again??? Not to mention they are EASILY a "two sides of the same coin" trope because they are both worshipped symbols in the eyes of their followers: the good of mankind and hero society worship All Might, whereas the bad of mankind and those who felt shunned from society saw Stain as their icon. Idk man I just think their dynamic in general has so many layers that could be dissected and I absolutely LOVE it.

8) Tetsutetsu x Itsuka

These two are an absolute power couple you guys, I don't care if they aren't canon I wholeheartedly believe these two have a connection. Like DO YOU GUYS SEE THE WAY TETSU THREW HIMSELF IN FRONT OF A FUCKING GUN TO PROTECT HER???? And you know what, even though Tetsu is a badass of his own, I DAMN WELL know that man admires / looks up to Kendou like it's nobody's business I'm telling you. She's the "big sis" of the class, and while I'm not sure if it was stated who the class rep of B is, I put all my money on it being Kendou because she is just so smart and a hell of a fighter, which is why I KNOW Tetsu is her guard dog on sight, no argument there. Even still though, I think Kendou would also admire Tetsu's strength SO MUCH as well, I think the two of them see the other as being so far out of their own league in terms of battle prowess, especially after the fight below; I just know Kendou developed a new-found admiration for him after he risked so much in this fight by her side. I really see them as a parallel of Mina x Kirishima in a lot of ways.

7) Mirio x Tamaki x Nejire

I'll be honest with you here I'm usually not much of a poly shipper but THESE THREE???? Underrated as hell. Tamaki and Mirio are a great ship, but including Nejire in there too is just so sweet to me, I just see them as a package deal through and through, especially since Nejire was once so lonely and outcasted until the two of them came into her life. Hell even Tamaki who is so shy around EVERYBODY practically flourishes around not just Mirio, but Nejire too, I can just tell that platonic or more, Tamaki has an undeniable amount of love in his heart for Nejire too, even if Mirio is at the forefront of it all. Of course, Mirio and Tamaki doesn't require too much of an analysis because Tamaki is easily the gayest mf in the series (I think he even out-gays Bakugo let's be real here) and his backstory with Mirio is just absolutely incredible, and while I don't think we get much Mirio and Nejire solo action, I think those two just complement each other so well??? Like they have such bright and sunny personalities, they are absolutely radiant, and I think that's why Tamaki draws to them both so much (it's easily a sun x sun x moon ship <3). Honestly though, I'll take this ship in any equivalent though; Tamaki x Mirio? Nejire x Tamaki? Mirio x Nejire? I love all three together or separately to be real.

6) Spinner x Shigaraki

People need to stop SLEEPING ON THESE TWO god damn it! It's not even Fanon that Spinner was risking it all just for Shigaraki, I swear he was the person in the league who held Shigaraki's well-being and best-interest above EVERYTHING and EVERYONE else, he fucking LOVED that man and no one can tell me otherwise. I'm telling you right now, Shigaraki lived his entire life with no family, no friends, no one who actually loved or gave a damn about him without their own ideals at work, without manipulation. Spinner was the first and ONLY person to come into Shigaraki's life who actually SEEN him for his humanity, for the person he was and would have become if only he hadn't been groomed towards evil. When Spinner and Shigaraki were together, they were just boys; boys with hobbies, who just exist, and I know damn well that was the future Spinner would have wanted. I just wish Shigaraki would of seen it sooner that there was actually somebody in his life who loved and cared for him all along, and god what I wouldn't give to let these two be happy and together. Spinner's confrontation with Deku at the end of the story, it says everything that needs to be said. Really, all he wanted all along was what was best for Shigaraki </3

5) Aizawa x Hizashi

Of course they are here. Why wouldn't they be here? What list WOULDN'T they be on come on now. LMAO in all seriousness though I was not on board this ship at ALL for a hot minute, I just couldn't see the vision. But after reading so many fics where those two are married and adopt Shinsou and Eri, oh my fucking god I cannot see these two apart anymore, I can't enjoy a good dadzawa fic anymore if these two aren't - not even just Together, they have to be MARRIED for me to be satisfied and they have to have all those god damn cats ok??? I'm telling you there isn't a single reality where those two don't end up spending the rest of their lives together, I don't care what manner it is these two are inseparable either way. I don't think anyone can honestly sit there and think stoic-ass Aizawa wouldn't love his absolute fucking shit if Hizashi was in danger, ESPECIALLY with how intense his trauma of losing Oboro is, there's no damn way he is failing a second time to protect the people he loves I'm telling you that right now. It's just always been the two of them against the world, grumpy x sunshine, and that's the way it's gonna damn well stay! thank you ^_^

4) Kirishima x Kaminari

Underrated af ship surprisingly enough, but I get it because I love them platonically too. However, the bakudeku-kirikami double-dating brainrot is rotting so bad I need it on my desk right now pronto, ASAP :) Idk like I see the vision with Kirishima and Ashido as a couple, I love them together too tbh, and of course the Kaminari and Shinsou parallel to Mic and Aizawa people go wild for, which I can see too though I personally just ain't a fan of that one for some reason I can't manage to get into it. Idk as someone whose favorite trope is best friends to lovers, I just love these two so much, ESPECIALLY with Kirishima being the golden retriever, sunshine type of lover to Kaminari's black cat, yet matching type of energy to Kiri's, idk I really don't know how to describe it but there's just a certain appeal that's there for these two that I can't explain. Best friends pining for one another is just so satisfying as a trope, and they just look SO damn good together I can't deny it. I feel like Kirishima is definitely the protective type when it comes to him, whether somebody says something bad about Kaminari or if he ends up in a situation needing physical protection; not to mention he would be Kaminari's BIGGEST supporter and vice versa. And like, what's better than being in a relationship with your best friend? Having the same interests, already enjoying each other's company twenty-four-seven, like I don't think we would even see a huge change in their dynamic except they are just together and sharing an apartment and being more physically affectionate. These two just WORK so well by my standards.

3) Iida x Uraraka

I love love love love LOVE these two so much! Gahhhh I miss their early season shenanigans though, they really left the spotlight after a certain point and it makes me so sadddd (though their moment at the end of the vigilante arc was amazing by my standards). Anyways, I think these two are another underrated pairing, they just fit together so well I don't know how to explain. Uraraka brings out a certain silliness in Iida I think, and not to mention I seen someone post on analysis on here once about how Iida was the only person who supported Uraraka's reasons for wanting to be a hero in the first place, understanding her viewpoint of wanting enough money to live a comfortable lifestyle unlike Deku who thought she was lacking more of a heroic ambition. I think the two of them just even each other out, and I know Toga and Uraraka had a much more developed (and gut-wrenching) storyline, I just think Iida and Uraraka's dynamic has a lot of potential; I wish Uraraka would of been more involved in the ordeal with Stain and could of been portrayed as having been there for Iida in the aftermath since she and Deku were canonically his closest friends at U.A.. I just think they both have similar ideals and would be a good fit for each other :)

2) Inasa x Shouto

I still cannot fathom how THIS isn't one of the most popular Todoroki ships below Todoroki x Deku / Bakugo. GENUINELY I can't understand it, the potential is literally all laid out for you and yet no one bats an eye???? Like, the depth of LORE is some gourmet fucking cooking; Inasa initially being a big fan of Endeavor, secretly idealizing Todoroki from afar at the entrance exams because he admired him so much as Endeavor's son, then the ANGST fest of Todoroki still being closed off and prickly and pushing away Inasa's attempts at friendship MY GOOD GOD!!!! They both have elemental quirks that are literally DEPICTED as being so complementary of one another, they are both bull-headed and stubborn to a fault, and not to MENTION they BOTH have the exact same footing when it comes to Endeavor wherein they both hate him for his past actions but want to see an improvement from there, and that point alone makes these two mean so fucking much to me. Inasa seems like the ideal support system for Shouto (even during the end of season 7 when Inasa came on the battlefield he was cheering Todoroki on in the back of his mind even as he was far away fighting his own battle like GUYS PLEASE). And we can even see in canon already that Inasa's hyperactive personality has been able to soften Shouto's defences and make him more relaxed; I'm so giddy over the fact that the popular moment of Shouto's first real, soft, and genuine smile is DIRECTED AT INASA oh lord these two I need more fan fiction ASAP please I'm starving over here. Anyways, thanks for coming to my Ted Talk :D

1) Bakugo x Izuku

Chat do I even need to explain bakudeku to you guys come on now. Obviously I in no way shipped or supported pre season 3 bakudeku by ANY means because Bakugo was a piece of shit and Deku deserved NONE of that, but Bakugo stepped the FUCK up and finally appreciated Deku for the absolute angel that he is and frankly no one but Bakugo is at the front of the line for the Deku protection squad- hell he isn't even IN line he's the fucking AMBASSADOR for that shit I'm just saying. You guys can't tell me these two aren't literally soulmates in every sense of the word, and you know it's something really special I think that Deku never once held a grudge against Bakugo at all for how he was in the past even though he had every right to; he STILL cared about him, he STILL referred to him fondly by the nickname he had for him as kids, and he STILL supported his journey towards becoming a hero every step of the way and now in the time skip Bakugo is no doubt paying it forward in every way that he can. These two are just made for each other, and I don't think anyone can deny that.

[mongeese]

I'm not involving myself in the arguments again, but ep 1 Carol snaps that she "always knew Darryl would do something like this one day" and had a larger reaction to the car crashing than (her phrasing) "losing the kid".

So that's why the initial impression of Carol is that she is mean, and Matt's later dad facts + Darryl referencing Carol calling him fat and Darryl hiding his hobbies from her give a certain impression to people.

I do not care about discourse that happened probably years ago because it simply doesn't matter but I AM a defender of fictional women so I'm gonna reply to this. Know that any bitchiness in this post is not directed toward you specifically anon but rather it is directed toward general misogynistic fandom culture (which is rampant).

First point, Carol snapping at Darryl: obviously that's an imperfect reaction, but she's also just had the bombshell dropped on her that her husband crashed their car and lost their son. I think I can forgive her some anger in this moment. There's also probably built up resentment toward Darryl being expressed in this conversation, because she's falling out of love with him and he is the exact opposite of emotionally intelligent and I'm sure communication has been deteriorating between them for a while. Not ideal, but I can't particularly fault her for it. Also, literally in the same conversation, Darryl asks Carol to ask Darnell about the plays he emailed him, while his son is missing, which suggests that he is not always the most responsible! Perhaps giving some credence to her statement!

Reading the transcript, she didn't have a larger reaction to denting the hood of the car. Darryl said it last and she processed it first, but immediately after she began berating him much more intensely about losing their son. Which, again, is cruel but also understandable, given that in her mind there's no explanation for how he could've lost track of Grant other than gross negligence.

Gonna be honest and say I remember nothing about the context of Carol calling Darryl fat. I'd assume it was either a bit of a mean joke that Darryl took very personally bc his self esteem is in the gutter, or her saying he should lose weight. Neither is good, and I won't defend them, but also, compared to all the other shit characters do in the podcast? So tame.

Darryl hides everything from everyone. That's like, the core of his character. It's entirely possible that any hobbies he hides from Carol is simply because he's ashamed of them for catholic guilt/toxic masculinity/general weird repression paranoia reasons, and not because of anything she said or did.

Ultimately this is a pointless exercise because even if all those things WERE as bad as people make them out to be, I'd still be a Carol defender, because all 4 of the dads canonically do things which are way worse. Glen in particular is undeniably a shitty person (at least until 2/3 through the podcast, where I'm at right now), and Ron isn't much better. Yet they're both fan favorites. Why are they given the grace to make mistakes and be mean and thoughtless and flawed and still be liked, but Carol is hated? Could it, mayhaps, have something to do with the fact that they are men? And thus their shitty behavior is fine, because they're oh-so deep, but clearly CAROL doesn't have that depth, because she's just a woman, and she should be more understanding, and motherly, and caring, etc etc.

Like. I'm just fucking begging people in fandom spaces to have an ounce of self awareness and think about why, maybe, you're so ready to hate the female characters who don't act nice all the time, but you love the flawed tragic backstory men? What dominant power structure and social conditioning could be at work here? You are not immune to internalized misogyny (yes, even if you're a woman)

[alix-in-july]

the gods in Epic

I'm only going to be able to fully sort some of them because a lot of them appear only briefly

Zeus: Lion/Lion. Can you be a gloryhound if you're already "king?" Zeus doesn't play tricks but he likes games. He likes laying out all your choices and making you pick. These are all in the spur of the moment, though. When he gets pissed off, he just immediately smites you. And nothing pisses him off more than when Athena embarrasses him by beating him. He also likes being the "judgement call."

Athena: Bird/Bird. She sets up tests for people (the magical boar). She sees Odysseus, at first, as a project she poured time and effort into. She uses reasoned arguments to persuade the other gods. And she scolds Odysseus to turn off his heart and said his sentimentality is "not a teaching of mine."

Hermes: No idea, man. He's weird. He gives me Lion Snake vibes??? I'm really bad at sorting them because they confuse me. Hermes in the original was a Double Snake IIRC but this Hermes is just floating around trolling people with no backstory so I could see either.

Poseidon: Snake/Lion. His first words are screaming Odysseus's name: ODYSSEUS OF ITHACA!!! He then basically yells at him for an entire song and sinks all his ships but one. Snake:

In all my years of living/It isn't very often that I get pissed off/I try to chill with the waves/But damn, you crossed the line/I've been so gracious/And yet, you hurt this son of mine/That's right, the cyclops you made blind, is mine

If that's not a Snake primary, I don't know what is. That's basically exactly how I described myself a few posts ago. Just happily chilling UNTIL. Weirdly enough, he claims he wouldn't be mad if Odysseus had just killed Polyphemus instead of blinding him.

Circe: Snake/Snake. Her nymphs are like her daughters. She's only convinced by Odysseus when he sings about his love for his wife. She lures the men inside to trick them into eating the food and when Odysseus can't be beaten with magic, she immediately pivots to trying to seduce him. I could also be argued into Badger Snake.

Edit: I'm changing my sorting to Badger Snake. She perfectly mirrors Odysseus in their songs and she talks about the nymphs as a group instead of mentioning any particular individual

Calypso: Snake/Badger. Snake for sure. From the jump she's singing about how Odysseus is the love of her life and that continues to be all she really sings about. Secondary was a bit harder but she doesn't lie or trick him like the Sirens and she doesn't use tools or arguments. She's just promising to take care of him and provide all he needs and trying to wear him down. She has that kind of Badgery softness even though she's a baddie.

Ares: Lion secondary. He is disgusted by Odysseus using cunning instead of just hacking and slashing everyone. I'm not sure of his primary. Ares focuses on Odysseus letting "his friends get devoured." But I think that could be Lion or Badger. Violence could also be his Lion cause, because he agrees once Athena says that Odysseus will make everybody bleed if he's released. I really want to say Double Lion.

Hephaestus: Badger/Badger I think, because he's most upset that Odysseus sacrificed his "cohort" and says, "Trust is not given, it's forged." He barely has any lines so this is tentative. We have a lot of doubles here.

Aphrodite: maybe Snake primary? Or else love is her "cause." She's most disgusted that Odysseus let his mother die waiting for him. No idea of her secondary.

I have no clue about Hera or Apollo.

[scribe-of-hael]

I think you could be intepreting things differently to op of that post n? Bcuz you're talking abt him always being written the same way as if ifs trapping him in a box.... but to me that's just sounds like consistent characterization? The way I always saw it he's someone who frequently is given opportunities to do better and either fumbles them or doesn't take them (or uses them to betray others for personal gain instead) bc doing that's kind of just what he's like?like that's just starscream behaviour to me lol and he wouldn't e the same guy without it. like if he turned out to have been a nice person deep down the whole time or what have you

(Not intending this to sound argumentative btw, I just wanted to offer my perspective) <3

Naw you're good Anon , I see where you're coming from ! And what OP showed. Yes he's always been like that for 40 years! But it gets - tiring. To be honest. When we are able to see different perspectives and growth from other characters. Ofc this is due to them being in the spotlight alor more, so ofc they will.

Starscream is a side character. Always has been. But with pushing him more into these new media, there gonna be different interpretation of the character. My whole thing is of you are gonna make Starscream that way. Commit.

Don't give this false hope of "We are taking this character into a new direction. JK , we lied" because if you wanna make him an asshole or insane. Whatever have you , go for it !

The thingbis we have seen the same characters have different personalities and takes in their story/Character.

Take IDW Prowl vs TFA Prowl. They are both prowl but they are vastly different. The only thing they share is say , is being police vehicle related and having the same name.

However that is still Prowl. A Prowl. Granted it is a departure from his g1 and IDW counterparts but it takes a new approach to the character.

That is what I'd like to see. If you're going to try and take a different approach, if you're going to try and address the situation to Starscream, commit.

He may not be the same Starscream, but he is still Starscream never the less. A different frame or backstory doesn't take that away from him.

Granted I haven't watched Armada beyond some clips, but alot of people would say that Armada Starscream is very different from his other interpretations. However he is still seen to be on of the arguably best Starscreams because of this departure.

Op however, has every right to say "that doenst feel like Starscream to me!" And I've been there myself.

When TFA was out its the first Starscream I saw. When TFP came out I refused to watch it because it didn't look, act or sound like the Starscream I knew! I also got lost in the sauce halfway in that post and probs lost my point along the way.

I'm just a writer who's just tired lol but thank you Anon for coming to explain and share your perspective. I am open to them ! Even if we may not always agree :3

But you're probs right i was probally misinterpreting stuff cause tbh - IDK kdixisnd

[dingodad]

I know your tags said that the lil cal & Gamzee stuff isn’t worth discussing, but I think a lot of people could actually use someone articulating the problem with assuming that the puppet is what triggered the breakdown/“mind controlled” gamzee. If you’re really to speak on it, I’d love to hear it 

to preface: i'm not unsympathetic to the desire to see a more sympathetic interpretation of Gamzee given how his arc speaks to certain racialised themes within the comic. but this is what's in the text as i see it.

ultimately it comes down to the exact same arguments that apply to Dave's bro. Gamzee is part of Lil Cal, so if Lil Cal were whispering in Gamzee's ear the whole time he was also undergoing all these stresses related to faith and substance, those whispers are Gamzee's own thoughts being reflected back at him. if puppet-Gamzee suggests to man-Gamzee that he kill people and man-Gamzee concedes, all that's really happened is that Gamzee has given in to his own desire to do that. this is what Homestuck does when it pits alternate timeline versions of characters against each other; it simply manifests interactions going on within that character's own self.

more specifically to Gamzee, this is a character who manifests Homestuck's feminist themes very explicitly, especially in regards to how they are portrayed via Alternia's caste system as a member of the patriarchal purple class. it is true and worth mentioning of course that Lil Cal is not just Gamzee, but is also Caliborn, Gamzee's patriarchal god! but then it was Gamzee who raised Caliborn to have those patriarchal principles; because in Homestuck the patriarchy isn't something you're somehow influenced or tricked into participating in, it's something you choose to perpetuate, just as Caliborn chose to perpetuate it in becoming Alternia's patriarch... and so on ad infinitum.

the "tragedy" of a time loop isn't that fate is somehow forcing you to adhere to a course of events that you don't want to adhere to; tragedy is when the person that you are makes it inevitable that you will walk down that same violent path every time. and Homestuck is all about that person that you are; it's a story by and large disinterested with any scenario where a character's actions do not offer insight into their personalities. a Homestuck character has a certain nature, and while on occasion they are offered psychic stimuli, how they react to that psychic stimulus is according to their nature.

there is of course a physical rather-than-metaphysical approach to Gamzee's backstory, which I'm sure is more along the lines of what you were looking for lol, and while analysis of that is not so much my area I feel that the physical approach basically points toward the same kind of conclusions as the metaphysical one. Gamzee is a character of tragedy, who has been shaped by physical stimuli like religious abuse (from all manner of directions!), parental neglect and substance addiction. and my assessment of that is primarily that... this should be enough? like is that not enough to create a compelling character. even if it were not antithesis to Homestuck's themes I guess it just seems to me like it goes without saying that "this character's actions were the result of someone else's will and not of their own unique circumstances" reduces the character. most certainly yes, there are manipulative forces at work in Homestuck, and their name is Lord English, and yes, Lil Cal is Lord English, but Lord English's power lies in the telling of the narrative; and the narrative that turns Gamzee into a villain is already there! English doesn't need to tell Gamzee to make those malevolent choices, because English already established the circumstances that made those choices inevitable. to make Lil Cal into some literal cursed amulet is to make Lord English into Vriska, and that reduces him, because that's not what he is! he's the god of inevitability!

[the-lorax-mustache]

Ok so I while ago I saw a post with levels of canon for queer characters. I thought of that again and I didn't agree with all of their examples so I decided to write my own version. Feel free to disagree with my examples.

Levels of canon for trans/nb cartoon characters:

1. Explicit canon.

Example: Rain from Owl House is non binary

Rain's pronouns are they/them.

2. It would be difficult to argue against it.

Example: Haruhi from Oran High School Host Club is non binary/ agender

Haruhi did not feel the need to correct the host club when they assumed she was a boy. At one point she said something like "boy, girl, it doesn't matter" when talking about her identity.

Also, as a side note, Haruhi's parent is level 1, explicitly canonically transgender.

3. A non human being that does not have a human concept of sex and gender

Example: all the gems from Steven Universe

They are aliens and their reproduction doesn't work that way.

4. Canon, but perhaps accidentally so.

Example: Otis from Back at the Barnyard is trans

Otis is only ever referred to with he/him pronouns, yet is only ever called a cow, not a bull, nor (as far as I recall) the general neutral cattle. Otis has udders, and is milked in at least one episode. Otis being milked would mean that not only is he biologically female, he has given birth.

5. One could easily make that argument

Example: Bugs Bunny from Loony Tunes is non binary/ gender fluid

Bugs is always pulling wacky schemes, and his schemes frequently involve cross dressing.

6. There is no textual evidence to support it, but technically none to refute it either.

Example: Dipper Pines from Gravity Falls is transgender (f-m)

This is a head canon I have seen a few times here on tumblr. A lot of Dipper's plots focus on him trying to "prove himself as a man". I can see how that would resonate with trans people, but within the context of the show it is clear this is meant to be insecurity while going through (cis) puberty.

I think fans might also like to characterize him as trans because he has a female foil in the form of his twin sister.

7. Directly contradicts canon

Example: Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirts from Phineas and Ferb is transgender (f-m)

We see multiple flashbacks of him as a young boy, including a flashback to his birth.

He has a daughter who we have no reason to believe is not his biological daughter.

If you were to make this theory align with canon you would need to write a long and convoluted fan fiction. (But long convoluted backstory is very in character for Doof)

[rawliverandgoronspice]

hey! do you have any thoughts on demise as a looser/more fluid/symbolic/metaphorical figure in the context of the story of the series- like thoughts on what he represents, and stuff like what his curse could mean thematically rather than the more essentialistic absolutistic "literal satan" interpretation that most of the (at least western) audience seems to take?

i know he may be somewhat contentious as a choice introduced by the writers especially considering from an outside perspective what he kind of did to the majority of fandom analysis and discourse, but i've been thinking about how it's quite possible the writers had a more paganistic approach to what it means to be a deity and how demise doesn't even really have a NAME so much as he is supposed to be some sort of manifestation/personification of the concept of demise, and maybe also of hatred, and also i don't know, like, what the point of that hatred is or why there has to be demise/what implications there could be of this worldbuilding

hope that was coherent enough to make sense of anything i just said but yeah i was just curious if you do!

Heyy sorry never replied, replying now!! Thanks for the ask!

Yeah it's exactly how I'm taking Demise, and I think what you mention connects more to what little I know and understand of shintoism.

In French, Demise has an absurdly long name and is basically called "The Avatar of the Void", which I think is... interesting? It makes me extremely curious as to how Demise is called in original japanese --because to me, "Void" is about the absence of things more than their destruction. It's about the absence, not the inevitability of things crumbling down that comes with Demise. I don't know which of these concepts are the closest to the original vision (if it's Void rather than Demise I think it recontextualizes everything we thought we know about this world and characters, but in my opinion it feels too incoherent with the rest of the world, so my guess is that it was a poorly thought-out translation --but I might be wrong!), but to me it's all in the title: Demise. The curse is that every golden era must end with a reckoning.

I think the curse is extremely compelling in that mythological sense, the way Demeter and Persephone's tale is about the joy and pain of passing seasons; it's the given cause for this world's fate as it is condemned to rise and die continuously; and that their eternal, bright future will always be opposed. To be honest, I'm not even sure it's a *bad* thing. Conflict is not only inevitable, it needs to rise to the surface instead of being suppressed to ensure things do not remain stagnant and shortcomings are being acknowledged and addressed --which is also partially why the suggestion of TotK's golden forever after really doesn't sit right with me, especially since nothing was learned and nothing truly changed in the course of its runtime.

I think the curse sucks when people think it means that Ganondorf is a generic evil demon man without motive of his own. It especially grinds my nerves since I somehow never hear this argument being made for *any* other villain in the franchise. I know they look alike the most (and TotK didn't help matters here), but I never *ever* saw people arguing that Vaati doesn't have motive, for example. Or Majora. Or Zant. Or even literal nothing characters like Bellum, who by all means looks more like a primal demonic evil acting on instinct than anyone else. Somehow, we get to assume they have internal motives that, while obviously wicked and self-serving, are their own! But somehow, Ganondorf, the actual main antagonist of his series with the most amount of games hinting at his backstory and internal moral code, gets flattened as an evil puppet with no internal life whatsoever. It's genuinely bizarre.

Anyway sorry sorry! Thanks again for the ask!

[chaintheghoul]

During a RP my mind just pieced together some of Chain’s history. I really need to crack down on his personality and lore (clearly. he’s changed wayyy too much since I started this account) so I guess this will help somewhat.

This might be a mix of a fic and of just bullet points of lore, so have fun reading I guess.(?)

And I just gotta mention that this is basically an AU. Doesn’t have to align with your HCs, this is pretty much how I imagine a character I’ve given a personality to.

It starts off like this:

Chain had been summoned. He was Primo’s first summon ever, summoned to aid in continuing the Ghost project so the ministry could expand and ‘take over the world’. He was a water ghoul, handed a bass and taught how to play. He was definitely interesting, not speaking to many people and he always drew bones on the back of his hand, but he was kind to others. He minded his own business, never getting into arguments because he rarely spoke to his new packmates.

However, Primo noticed how alone the ghoul seemed, and decided to speak with him. Already, because of the bond they had due to the summoning, Chain liked the man, however this conversation seemed to spark a flame in him.

The two got along well, and eventually you weren’t able to split the two up, not even onstage.

BUT ANYWAYS, that’s not what this is about.

This segment is about his sad backstory :(( poor chain 😣

Jshrwisntkqkfktbwo how do i write again?

Chain had been in the band Ghost for a few months now. He’d been happy as ever, enjoying spending time with his favorite person and playing an instrument that he had learned to enjoy, however the ministry had noticed that something was wrong with him.

They noticed how he constantly isolated himself, he zoned out a lot, he constantly spoke to people that seemingly weren’t there, and he constantly shut people out and believed the craziest things, ranging from saying the world was about to explode to telling them that the ghouls around him were making him crazy. It was getting worse.

Noticing that Chain had taken a liking to a chain he had used as a belt, the ministry ‘therapist’ had the idea to use chains and keep him detained… ‘safe’ so he wouldn’t hurt anyone if it ever came to that.

They set up a room for him, similar to what you’d see in a psych ward because they weren’t really used to having to deal with anyone like this but Primo refused to send him back.

They basicallt experimented with him, testing his limits and taking advantage of him because they could. It wasn’t common to find ghouls with disorders like this, so they’d run tests and learn more about him.

So, Chain had been detained, taken to the room after being initially examined and chained to the wall so they could record him. He of course fought back, and they put a muzzle on him, which is what inspired them to put a muzzle on Chain when they locked him up with Miasma. (by that time it was a little more advanced though)

They recorded him, and eventually diagnosed him with his schizophrenia. Chain stayed in the room for months, eventually getting out when Primo finally convinced them to let him out. Of course this means that the pack had to move on, they replaced him with Lake, became Secondo’s ghouls, blah blah.

Whenever he’d go outside the room, he’d be held back by chains and guards carrying them. He’d barely be allowed in the lake since they didn’t want him drowning himself.

Eventually he’d be let off on his own, spending time only with Primo for years until he was inevitably killed, leading to Chain completely isolating himself for years until finally coming out of hiding.

That whole story might have it’s own explanation though, it’s a long thought.

I’m mainly focusing on his time spent in the infirmary. Obviously we know that he was completely mistreated, and stress is known to induce episodes for people dealing with schizophrenia, so of course the whole experience would lead to them thinking he was actually a lot worse than he was. This also means that there was a lot of misinformation around the ministry when it comes to psychotic disorders, because they weren’t common in the ministry. However luckily they’re educated now because Chain’s mistreatment just means that they need to improve and become more knowledgeable on these topics👍👍

I could go on for hours about how all of this affects Chain and his actions nowadays, so let’s rant!!!

I haven’t really been focusing on what I’ve said in RPs. I’m truly just now going through and picking my boy apart, so apologies if it’s inaccurate or doesn’t meet your expectations, I’m trying my best lol

So Chain was generally nice to Miasma when they were locked up. I imagine that this is because that was when he just came out of years of isolating himself, and he knows that he should try to make friends because he knows Primo isn’t going to be back any time soon. He doesn’t enjoy socializing, and being locked up with a ghoul really just meant free friend in his eyes.

And then they tried to kill Copia. This was generally just revenge. Being locked up didn’t really do much to him, but he just wanted Copia to understand that he wasn’t going to be taken advantage of again.

Blah blah, Miasma kills Ifrit or smth and then Primo comes back alive. Primo is literally the center of Chain’s universe, the Jesus Christ of his life because Primo quite literally saved him from the doctors. So of course as soon as he comes along, Chain obeys anything and will literally do anything to make Primo happy. Also Primo is literally re-alived after being dead so it’s a shock and Chain is just happy about it.

And then I generally don’t really remember much else. Miasma became a human or whatever, but we come to the part where Chain is starting to go a little crazy because of everything happening.

Miasma has been kind of influential on Chain’s thoughts. He’s seen his two favorite people doing the most deranged things, and he’s starting to wonder if he could do it to. So he tried to kill Primo in the lake, then he tried to kill Miasma, and in the end because he loves Miasma so much, he tried to kill off whatever is keeping Miasma away from Chain. (Jim.) I can go on about why Chain is so obsessed with Miasma and his attention and why he’s so addicted to the attention he receives from others, but I can go in detail another time, I’ve got some good ideas about that.

What I’m trying to point out is that Chain is starting to think a lot more violently, as shown by his yandere moment of attempting to lure Jim to the lake. And then after, he guts a fish and did the one thing he swore to himself he wouldn’t do, he ate one of his fish.

^^ That is what really changes him, I’d think. I feel like him doing that is a sort of ‘relapse’ into his old habits of needing to hurt something to release dopamine, because he wanted a release from feeling so controlled and watched. He wanted to feel rebellious and like himself and not the perfect ghoul they wanted him to be.

It sounds edgy, but I feel like it’d be true. In their eyes, he’s insane, and he knows he’s not, but he also just doesn’t want to be perfect because it’d be weak, it’d mean that he wouldn’t need to be restrained, that he didn’t need to be watched, that he didn’t deserve the attention he was getting. So if he was crazy, he’d get the attention, and even if it was bad, at least someone was talking to him. Asking how he felt, he could socialize but he didn’t need to do any heavy lifting. He knew socialization was good, he just didn’t want to do it.

Gonna be honest, that doesn’t make any sense psychologically. But I’ll leave it for me to fix later I guess

And then there’s the ongoing RP with Sister Nyx. Basically, Chain has PTSD. And as everyone knows, PTSD and Schizophrenia do NOT mix. Just a recipe for disaster, and it sure is a disaster. Chain is constantly reminded of the memories of being dragged around n shit.

I’m starting to get a little tired so I’ll probably post more thoughts tomorrow. Maybe an entire fic if I feel like it tbh. I’ll probably go more into detail about his time at the infirmary, this is really messy and I kind of hate it. BUT at least I got my thoughts down.

@asksisternyx I know you wanted to see this :3

and @ask-papa-primo sorry for the mention but jusr thought you might be interested.

This was not proofread and I suck at having clear/organized thoughts so I’m sorry if this doesn’t make any sense 😭 Give me like a week to figure it out LOL

In conclusion, don’t listen to depressing Sleep Token while writing character lore 🫶

[featherstorm2004]

All For One's death

I am a little confused at some of the disappointment I've seen directed at the latest chapter or well chapters, more at how Horikoshi has handled All For One. Because, I don't see how this could have gone differently given the current circumstances but to organise my thoughts I will start with the first arguments I've been seeing.

"I am upset that All For One went out the way he did"

This one I can kind of understand since with the reveal of his backstory, he has successfully (in my eyes) become one of the most complex and well thought out characters in bnha. However, due to the fact that it was revealed so late it meant that for the people who had just gotten attached to him or the people who had been craving this character development for a long time, it meant we had a short time to enjoy it and his character fully before he died.

And that kinda sucks and I get that, I wish that this backstory was revealed sooner like I would have had it revealed in the vigilante arc where Deku was exploring why villains are the way they are, maybe we could have had both All For One and Yoichi narrate it as Deku was getting used to his vestiges and Shigaraki and All For One were fused. But I understand why that didn't happen since it was clear that Horikoshi was experiencing burnout after writing the monster of an arc that was the war, plus I'm pretty sure he was dealing with a new editor/manager which couldn't have been fun.

In a perfect world Horikoshi would've taken a nice long break after the war arc and then started working on the next arcs but sadly that didn't happen. But I'm happy we got this backstory at all since it's clear he's been rushing to finish the manga as soon as possible (which I can't blame him for) and I'm glad to see he cared enough about All For One as a character to make it crystal clear why he is the way he is and that despite everything that he is in fact human.

As for the people who are mad that he's not the main villain, I'm not really sure what to tell you. Yes he is a really cool character/villain and it might have been cool to see him in all his big bad glory but this has never been his story; it's been stated over and over again that All For One and by extension All Might's time in the limelight is over, this is Deku and Shigaraki's story not theirs. Since the beginning it's been made abundantly clear that bnha is a story about successors and the legacies they carry and if you wanted a story about their predecessors then you're reading the wrong manga.

Which brings me to the next complaint I've heard, people that are upset that All For One was included in the first place.

I can understand this to a point, I too was upset when All For One barged in and tried to steal Shigaraki's thunder, it was frustrating I can admit that. But I also wasn't too surprised after all it was an incredibly in character thing for All For One to do and Horikoshi needed a believable way to handicap Shigaraki so the hero's had the slightest chance of winning, and vestiges had already been long established in this world.

But most importantly there needed to be a reason for Deku to believe that Shigaraki needed saving and to want to do so in the first place, and being forcefully possessed by the most evil man in history is a pretty good motivation to save someone.

And to be honest there was no way that Horikoshi could get away with not using All For One at all after there had been so many hints and foreshadowing to him eventually breaking out of prison, people would have lost their minds if he had never been included. Especially after he had been built up as this master manipulator who had warped Shigaraki's mind for years and had been pulling the strings of Japans underworld for a century.

It would've been seen as the worlds biggest missed opportunity so, I think Horikoshi handled it the best way he could've whilst keeping the integrity of his characters and the main theme's of the story intact.

And I think it was probably for the best that we spent that time deconstructing the myth that was the villain All For One because in my eyes he really didn't fit in the world of bnha; which has spent it's entire story exploring how people aren't born good or evil and that bad people can choose to change if they want to and that good people can also do bad things. So, to have this pure evil villain who was just born that way didn't really mesh well with the tone and message of the story, he needed to be brought down a peg or two to be made more human in order to fit in and I think Horikoshi succeeded in that.

Now that I'm thinking about it, that's probably the reason I never cared for All For One at the start as I could sense that he didn't belong in this world. And I didn't start getting invested in him until he started falling apart because suddenly he made sense in the narrative, but that's just my opinion. I'm not saying that pure evil villains can't be fun or thematically appropriate, just not for this story.

But yeah those are my thoughts of All For One's death at the moment I'll probably do more meta's about it later but I wanted to respond to the complaints I've been seeing.